The Indian Army has received its first M777A2 Ultra Lightweight Howitzers (ULH) at an official handover ceremony, making a key step towards the modernising and strengthening its artillery capabilities.
The gun systems, produced by BAE Systems, were accepted earlier this year, as part of a 145-gun agreement between the US and Indian governments and will deploy to their first regiment in 2019.
BAE Systems is building and delivering the first 25 M777 ULHs fully assembled, with the remaining 120 to be assembled in India by Mahindra Defence Systems Ltd. (MDSL) under an arrangement designed to support defence industrial cooperation and promote local economic growth.
The US government recently certified that MDSL is ready to carry out the work at a purpose-built production facility created for this program to conduct the in-country Assembly and Integration of 120 of the 145 gun systems on order.
Earlier this year, BAE Systems delivered the first spares and other logistics including tooling, technical publications and training materials, to support the Indian Army as it brings these new M777 ULHs into service.
Nik Khanna, Managing Director India, BAE Systems, said: “The M777 ULH is more than a very effective piece of artillery technology. With the M777 program, BAE Systems has made the first step of our substantive Make-in-India commitment, which includes our pledge to develop a network of Indian suppliers for our global supply chain and deepen our relationship with industry in India.
“We are committed to a strong and collaborative working relationship between BAE Systems, the Indian Armed Forces and Indian industry.”
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